Dumont de Chassart


The House Dumont de Chassart is a family of Belgian nobility. They bear the name of the hamlet of Chassart.

History

The family owes its name to the hamlet of the village of Saint-Amand, Chassart. This agricultural locality in the province of Hainaut is where their agro-industrial activities developed. In 1836, the Établissements de Chassart, founded by Auguste Dumont, were established there.
During the 19th century, the Établissements de Chassart developed and modernized. In 1857, a grain distillery was built, and the modernization of the sugar refinery was carried out in 1878. A private railway line was laid in the domain. In the 1880s, a malting plant and yeast factory were established, and new chemical processes were introduced, controlled by laboratories, which allowed for the diversification of activities through the production of fertilizers and the creation of a seed selection unit.
Following this success, the Dumont family was ennobled in 1906 and obtained the right to call themselves Dumont de Chassart in 1908.
In 1963, the family obtained a concession of the title of Baron, transmissible by order of male primogeniture.

Hunting

From 1811 to 2000, the Dumont de Chassart family had one of the few horse-drawn hunting teams in Belgium. This horse-drawn team, named "Chassart Chassant", only hunted hares, the most difficult animal to hunt with hounds.
The team ceased to exist in 2000 with the ban on hunting with hounds in Wallonia.

Notable members

The following individuals belong to this family: